Vortex
by viper676
Summary: HermioneRon & GinnyHarry...just like a couple thousand other fics out there. The Grangers decide to send Hermione(and the Weasleys and Harry) to California for the remaining 3 months of their summer vacation. Fun...fun..fun. R&R...my 1st HP Fic!
1. Icebreaker

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Chapter 1

Icebreaker

A gentle dawn summer breeze wafted through the bedroom window, rippling the stained bedsheets in its wake. A large moth, unaware of the dangers that lay within the quiet bedroom, fluttered in as well, performing a lazy circle around the cramped room.

"_Impendimenta_."

A soft white light lit the room for a moment, then faded out. There was a soft _thump_ as the moth hit the floor, trembling feebly as a hand scooped it up and flung it out the window, releasing the harm as it did so. The moth caught a glimpse of a mop of red hair before it spread its wings and fluttered off into the night.

Ron Weasley sank back onto the edge of his bed and continued his vigil of the sunrise. For a while, he savored the peace and quiet that the summer brought him, and a faint smile flitted across his face as a robin began chirping its dawn serenade in a bush nearby.

"Ron?"

He almost fell off his bed in surprise. Whirling, he saw Hermione Granger standing in the doorway, her bushy brown hair tied back in a pathetic attempt at a ponytail.

"Who gave you the right to come in here, eh?" Ron snarled, the tips of his ears going scarlet.

Hermione looked hurt and retorted, "Well, I was just going to ask if you wanted any help with McGonagall's essay…but if you don't want it, that's fine."

She turned and was about to leave when Ron asked, "And if I wanted help with the essay?"

Hermione paused, her hand on the doorknob. "Maybe I would've helped you, think about it, Ron," she said, her voice exasperated.

Ron grinned knowingly behind her back. "Yeah, right. You're gonna help me no matter what- I know you, 'Mione."

He watched the back of her neck go red, then into her eyes as she turned around, her face even redder. He quickly lowered his eyes as she said matter-of-factly, "If you're going to rely on _me_ to get all of your homework done, you're wrong, Ron!"

"Sure. You're not the brightest witch of your time for nothing, are you?"

Hermione went even redder. "Well, guess what, Ron? You're _still wrong. _I'm _not helping_!"

"Now you change your story, first you want to help, now you don't. Make up your mind!"

Another knock sounded on the doorway, and Ron and Hermione looked up to see Harry standing in the doorway, his green eyes somewhat blurred by tiredness.

"Is it six AM already?" he asked, yawning widely.

Ron looked strangely at Harry. "Whassat supposed to mean?"

Harry gave him a wicked, if not somewhat weary grin. "The first thing you two do in the morning is, some way or another, start a blazing row. You won't talk through breakfast, then you'll both make up by lunch. You're on good terms up until about eight PM, when you start another row. And the rest of the house is now able to set their clocks by you."

Hermione and Ron both threw Harry scathing looks. He got the point quickly, said "See you in a few," and was gone. Hermione looked back at Ron. "Now, where was I…?" she inquired.

Ron shrugged nonchalantly. "What the hell were we fighting about in the first place?" he inquired.

Hermione sighed and stared at the floor. "You know, Ron…" she began, sounding somewhat unsure of herself.

"What?" Ron asked dully.

He received a look from Hermione and shrugged again. "What'd I do?"

Hermione rolled her eyes and continued. "…I wanted you to know something." She lowered her eyes and shifted awkwardly from foot to foot, then continued.

"…I've known you for a full…six years…and…um…I was thinking about this last night…for a long, long time. And…I've decided to tell you. I…"

Ron looked faintly hopeful.

Hermione flushed. "…I wanted to give you this. Hold on…"

She got up and left the room. Ron, in her absence, looked somewhat crushed, but brightened up somewhat as she brought in a small age with a blanket draped over it. She gave him a small, shy smile, then lifted the blanket off the cage.

A good-sized female spotted owl blinked sleepily out at them, hooted softly, and proceeded to give Ron a wary peck on the finger.

"Ow! Oh…wow, Hermione…"

He hugged her gently, and she unconsciously gave him a hug back. Both of them froze as the thought of what they were doing hit them, and they quickly broke apart, forcing totally untrue looks of disgust onto their faces.

"Um… no problem, Ron…!" Hermione stammered, her face a bright pink.

Ron's ears looked like they were about to catch fire as he stuttered, "Um… th-thanks, Hermione… yeah…um. Um."

Hermione looked lost for a second, then sighed and asked, "You really want help on that essay, don't you?"

"It's two rolls of parchment, 'Mione. What did you expect?"

"You to do at least _some_ of it on your own…"

"Nah."

"What would you do without me, Ron?"

"Fail?"

"That's what I thought."

An awkward silence fell, then, Hermione leaned in and gave Ron a kiss full on the lips.

Ron started, then, somewhat nervously, deepened the kiss. Hermione plunged recklessly into it, wrapping her arms around Ron, who responded by doing the same to her. Both Hermione and Ron slowly sank into their own world, consumed wholly with one another, ardently deepening the kiss.

A cough sounded from the doorway, and, shocked, Hermione and Ron broke apart to see Harry standing in the frame, a grin on his face as he said, "Breakfast, you two."

Ron watched him leave, then turned back to Hermione, who gave him another kiss, this time on the cheek, whispered, "Love you, Ron," and cleared her throat quietly.

"Now, what about that essay?"

****

A/N: Be back on the mainland June 25th- I'm heading to Santa Catalina Island for a summer camp tomorrow morning. R&R… Please! Whatcha think…?


	2. California Dreaming

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A/N: It's summer. And so, to honor this wonderful season, I have decided to say that these chapters will be distinctly beach-themed. Bear with me, please. And I had a _GREAT_ time over at Catalina, met new people, etc. and now am a better writer than EVER!!! So, with that over, let's roll.

Chapter 2

California Dreaming

Hermione pushed Ron down the stairs to breakfast, both slightly red, Hermione's bush of hair tousled even more than normal. As they entered viewing range of the rest of the eating Weasley family and yawning Harry, both teens uncomfortably noticed that all eyes were focused solely on Ron and her as they walked down the staircase and into the dining room. Hermione shot Harry a look that plainly said _I'm going to kill you, Harry,_ but Harry took no notice, grinned, and said, "So sit down, 'mione. You too, Ron."

Both teens obliged, if somewhat warily as they watched Harry's every movement. Mr. Weasley pushed Percy out of the way and stood up, a smile wreathing his face.

"Hermione," he began, and Hermione sat up, looking very much awake now. Ron, sitting beside her, paled slightly.

"Hermione," Mr. Weasley continued. "I have recently received a telegram from your parents notifying me that you shall shortly be embarking on a journey of the most wonderful kind. You…"

"Hermione, Ron, Harry, you're going to the US of A for a good ole camping trip," George cut in. "And me, Fred, Ginny here, and Dad are coming with you."

Mr. Weasley glared at George, then sighed and said, somewhat deflatedly, "Yes. And we're leaving tomorrow for Los Angeles…"

"LAX," Fred interjected.

"_Yes_, Fred, _LAX_. Now hush and let your father talk!"

"As I was saying, we will arrive at LAX and will camp out in California for most of the summer. As most of you can now drive, you will each take ONE vehicle from the lots we're going to today and take it to California with you," Mr. Weasley finished, sounding hurried.

"But, Dad, how is it that _I_ can't come?" Percy complained loudly.

"Because, Percy, Mr. Fudge would not like you to miss work, now would he? I remember you telling me that when we all went to the Quidditch World Cup. I also remember I had to drag you out, and you spent the next week complaining that your pay had been cut. So you _STAY_."

Percy sputtered as Mr. Weasley ushered Hermione, Ron, and Harry out the door, slamming it behind them.

Ginny watched them go, then excused herself from the table, padding quietly up the staircase and into her room, where she flopped down on her stomach into the soft confines of her bed, grabbing _The View From Saturday_ and cracking it open to the first page.

She pushed her auburn hair back from her face, then stared at the columns of words in front of her, though not really reading it. Presumably because her mind was focused on a certain dark-haired, emerald-eyed sixteen year old wizard who had just left.

Ginny heaved a sigh and thought wistfully of Harry. How could he be so blind as to not notice her? She'd tried (and failed) to get him jealous when she started going out with Seamus Finnigan, she'd reassured him (if somewhat coolly) when he had had a brief panic attack brought on by the thought of being controlled by Voldemort, and he still hadn't really noticed her. How was it possible for boys to be so blind?

She sighed, closed her eyes, and imagined herself sitting on a park bench, Harry sitting beside her, her head on his shoulder, both of them watching the sunset over the lake together…

Ginny was asleep before she realized she was still tired, sinking into dreams of kissing Harry Potter.

She woke once more to the sound of someone opening the door to her room, and she sat up, brushing strands of her pesky gold-red hair out of her eyes once more. Her eyes fell on Harry, standing uncertainly by the doorway, his beautiful eyes fixed on Ginny, watching her as she stared back at him, equally uncertain.

"Um… hey, Ginny…! I was just…um…leaving…so…um…"

Ginny stared at Harry, and he couldn't help but notice how pretty she looked with the summer sun's rays falling across her face, highlighting little golden patches of her hair as she moved. She gave a sort of strained half-grimace, and he winced slightly.

"No, don't leave…please?" Ginny supplicated, her brown eyes widening slightly at the alarming prospect of losing another chance to talk with Harry.

Harry wordlessly closed the door and sat down beside Ginny, his emerald eyes watching her as she drew her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, perching her chin moodily on top of her right knee. Another pang went through Harry's heart at Ginny's awesome beauty in the afternoon light, and he fumbled for something to say before managing to get his best idea off his tongue.

"Um."

Ginny looked at him quizzically. "You okay?" she inquired dubiously.

Harry flushed crimson. "Erm… llp…"

__

Dammit, he thought furiously, _I can't even _speak_ clearly around her anymore… let alone tell her I love her…_

"What's up?" Ginny persisted, looking at him even more curiously than before, her bright brown eyes sparkling wonderfully with hints of mischief at the corners and curiosity spiraling in toward her pupils.

Harry shrugged, suddenly finding his tongue as he wrenched his gaze away from Ginny's eyes.

"Nothing much… how's your car searching going?"

Ginny shrugged, nonchalant. "It's okay. I'm paying off the loan I took out on an old Tercel…" She scowled at her pillow. "I _hate_ being poor!"

Harry bit his lip to hide a grin; he remembered a time, not so long ago, when he remembered a certain other Weasley say the exact same thing.

"Aren't Fred and George doing well on their joke shop?"

Ginny brightened somewhat. "Oh yeah… I forgot to tell you. They've made so much money, we're remodeling the Burrow! You and Ron'll have your own rooms…!"

Harry stared, then grinned hugely. "Great! Tell Fred and George congratulations. What're _they_ driving?"

Ginny laughed. "Fred's on his third Jetta, and George has managed quite well with his New Beetle S."

"Both Volkswagens, huh?"

"Yeah… I'm the first in the family to buy a Toyota!"

Harry seized the opportunity.

"You know, I've always found those who drive Toyotas attractive… especially those with red hair and brown eyes," he said quietly, a hint of panic dancing around the corners of his eyes.

Ginny looked up in shock, then a disbelieving smile played across her pretty features.

"Harry Potter, are you _flirting_ with me?"

Harry went crimson, shrugged, then nodded.

Ginny flushed red as well, and determinedly began to avoid his gaze. She needn't have bothered; Harry was so flustered at what he'd just blurted out, he wouldn't look anywhere but the floor, much less anywhere near Ginny.

An awkward silence fell, broken by Ginny, who sighed, said, "C'mere, Harry," and patted the area of bed right next to her.

Harry obliged.

Ginny put an arm around him, whispered, "I love you, Harry," and, leaning over, gently met his lips.

Harry had never been kissed by someone younger than him, and thus was a little cautious in deepening the kiss, and also at a total loss of what to do.

Everything he had ever been taught by anyone instantly vanished from his head.

Damn.

Ginny deepened the kiss, wrapping her arms around Harry's body and holding him tightly, not ever wanting to let go. Harry, on the other hand, inhaled Ginny's sweet, cinnamony scent and discovered he liked cinnamon; a fact that he'd never known before.

Merlin's blood, she smelled like heaven.

Harry was more than ready to deepen the kiss when Ginny pulled away from him, gently, though reluctantly, which Harry was pleased to note.

Ginny, her arms still around Harry's neck, whispered once more, "I love you, Harry Potter," and met his lips again, sinking into yet another world of their own.

The door opened once more, and a voice said, somewhat warily, "Harry…? _Harry?_"

The thought presented itself in both Harry's and Ginny's minds simultaneously: _Oh…crap…_

****

A/N: I would like to dedicate this chapter to the memory of my friend Asia Thorpe. May she Rest in Peace. June 15th, 2004.

Please, no questions or inquiries about details… thank you.

Viper676


	3. The Short One

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Chapter Three

The Short One

Hermione peered in through the doorway, her face going a bright red as she noticed Harry and Ginny staring incredulously at her.

"Eep…" she squeaked, then regained her composure.

"Um… Harry? If… if you don't mind, dinner's ready…"

Ginny looked up at Harry, her brown eyes clearly telling him he could go if he wanted to. Harry looked at Ginny, his arm still around her slim waist, and said, "I'll be down in a minute."

Hermione, still red, left the room after promising not to tell Ron about what she had witnessed.

Ginny looked up at Harry, adoration dancing in her bright brown eyes, and, as she leaned up to kiss him, whispered, "You sure?"

Harry gazed into her eyes, then gave her a surprise peck on the forehead, forcing a noise of protest out of her.

"My _lips_," Ginny said, smiling. "Like _this_…"

She leaned up and kissed him again, enjoying the mere sensation of being near him, to be fulfilling her past five years' secret dream of kissing Harry Potter.

Harry pulled back after a short while, muttering, "Gotta go help Hermione… she's probably macking with Ron again…"

Ginny giggled and, her brown eyes shining, watched him go, wondering how the day could get any better, before following her longtime crush down the stairs to dinner.


	4. FullBodyBinds

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Chapter 4

Let's Roll

Dinner was a quick, quiet affair consisting of an enormous Italian Frittata, apple pie, and a slightly burned custard for dessert. Ginny burned her hand once on the hot dish Mrs. Weasley handed her at the beginning of dinner, subsequently dropping it, but Mrs. Weasley's spectacular levitation spell saved it. After that, nothing much happened of importance or interest, unless one counts Ron and Hermione bickering slightly over how much sugar was put into the custard, or Fred accidentally sitting on Pig (again).

As dinner finished, Mrs. Weasley forcefully propelled Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and the twins upstairs to pack for the excursion that lay ahead of them.

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Harry sailed into the air once more, landing squarely on the lid of his trunk, slamming it shut with an indignant wheeze from the trunk. He hurriedly bent down, snapping the latches shut with the satisfying _click_ he had been striving for since he had began wresting with his trunk fifteen minutes ago. Ron and Hermione had long since disappeared into another room, and had stayed surprisingly quiet for the past three hours.

__

Probably snogging again… Harry thought, a grin forming on his features as he recalled the guilty look on their faces when they realized he had been watching them from the doorway as they kissed.

His thoughts were interrupted as Ron poked his head in, looking somewhat dazed.

"Hey Harry…" he said, sounding suspiciously dazed.

"You okay, Ron?" Harry inquired, trying his best to sound like he had absolutely no idea what had just taken place.

"Yeah… yeah, I'm fine," Ron stammered, his ears going red.

Harry did his best to hold back a huge grin. "You and Hermione were kissing, weren't you?" he inquired.

Ron shrugged, his whole face now going a bright red. "Yeah, so?" he asked defensively. "Not like you and Cho did… it wasn't _wet_…"

Harry grinned, but said nothing. Hermione didn't strike him as the kind of person that would sob her eyes out on someone's shoulder; as she had already demonstrated with Malfoy, she would tell someone exactly what she thought of them. She was a true Gryffindor… in most aspects. Brilliant, outgoing, perseverant… and, despite her huge intelligence, was never exactly afraid to bend or break the rules. And, in Ron's case, she was the best-looking, smartest, sweetest person this side of Antarctica.

Well, most of the time, anyway.

Hermione skipped into the room, looking happier than she had in days. She made for Ron, then, realizing Harry was sitting right beside him veered right, toward the single, smashed window overlooking the front of the Burrow, and peered out of it.

Ron looked at Harry, scandalized, and went to go join Hermione at the window. Harry, grinning huely, watched Hermione sneak a kiss, and as Ron's ears went red, got up and made his way up behind them.

The atmosphere between them was so syrupy, he could have sworn he could taste the sickeningly sweet taste of mushy love in the air.

Resisting the huge urge to gag, Harry, feeling slightly nauseous, rested his arms on Hermione and Rons' shoulders.

"So," he said loudly, cutting through the nausea-inducing looks that Ron and Hermione were giving each other, "How about those Cannons?"

Ron stared incredulously at Harry, then rolled his eyes. Hermione, on the other hand, blushed furiously and looked away.

"Ha… ha. I get thy point, oh foolish Potter," Ron said sourly, then laughed and said, "I guess this means no snogging for a while, eh, 'Mione?"

Hermione went an even darker shade of red and suddenly became oddly interested in her ancient steel car keys.

Ron muttered darkly about the injustice of the world, then turned to Harry.

"Well, let's throw our crud in the cars, shall we?"

Harry grinned. "_Locomotor trunk_," he intoned, pointing his wand at his own bulging trunk and lifting it onto the air. Ron followed suit, levitating his trunk and following Harry out the door, leaving Hermione alone in the room.

Hermione turned away from the window and went to the door, peeking around it cautiously. Seeing no one, she whispered, "You can come out now…"

There was a quiet swish from one corner of the room, and a mop of red hair was revealed as Ginny Wesley, her face tinged a bright pink, scrambled to her feet, having just watched her crush for the last five minutes, having been dragged into the room by Hermione.

"Well?" Hermione demanded curiously. "What's the plan?"

Ginny's brown eyes gleamed mischievously, and, leaning close to Hermione, began to whisper in a low tone.

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Harry surveyed Ron's brand new Mini Cooper, resisting the urge to roll his eyes in despair as his friend went on and on about the amazing usage of a 'cambulator'.

"And then, what it does is it mixes gas and air to produce an explosion!"

"Ron..."

"…and then the explosion drives the piston downwards, and the process is repeated all over again!"

"RON!!!"

"What, Harry?" Ron asked, disgruntled.

"It's a _carburetor_."

There was an embarrassed silence after this, and Ron muttered something indistinguishable, then began to grill Harry on his car choice.

"Blimey, Harry… I don't know how the bloody hell you could choose a scrap heap like _that_," he said loudly, pointing at the crushed and mangled fiberglass body that was Harry's car choice. All four windows of the car had been smashed in, and one of the former two taillights were missing. The remaining one was dangling by a green wire from its socket, swaying gently in the cool evening breeze. The whole body of the car had been battered as if by a raging bull; the whole front bumper and hood had been twisted and bent sideways, dangling from the car, barely attached.

In fact the only identifying marks on the car that weren't completely totaled were the lopsided front SS badge symbolic of the muscle Chevy lineup and the badging on the side that read, in graceful, flowing script, _Camaro_.

Harry looked smugly at Ron. "I got this for less than two thousand pounds."

Ron rolled his eyes. "I can see why; it's a useless junk heap!"

The dark eyebrow that shot into Harry's hair made Ron feel more than a bit disconcerted.

"Oh, really?"

Harry whipped out his wand; Ron flinched away, as if expecting to be cursed.

"_Reparo Totalis!_" Harry bellowed, flicking his wand at the totaled Camaro.

Immediately, the Camaro went into rewind. The bent and dinged sheet metal warped and popped as it stretched out over the reforming steel skeleton of the Camaro, smoothing out into not-so-perfect aerodynamic shape once more. The missing taillight reappeared out of nowhere, flashed once, then went out. The hood and front bumper forcefully twisted and popped back into place, and Ron was left gaping at a shining, brand new, dark blue '68 Camaro.

Harry grinned at Ron, who seemed a bit stunned, then sighed and looked at Harry, his face clearly contemplating his utter stupidity.

Harry's grin stretched even further as Ron struggled to find another fact to criticize, and found it in the trunk.

"And just _how_ are you supposed to put your trunk in there, Harry?" Ron inquired.

He quailed beneath Harry's famed I-can't-believe-you're-so-stupid look.

"Ron," Harry said patiently, "There's a certain spell that can make a certain area LARGER than it really is…"

"_Locomotor trunk!_" Harry cried, and, popping open the trunk of the Camaro, slid it in with ease. The trunk slammed shut with a loud, mocking _bang_.

"Still don't believe me?"

Ron stared at his Mini, then raised his eyes to the heavens. "Why the bloody hell did I buy a MINI?"

Harry shrugged and helped him to cram his trunk into the rear hatch of his car, but even with the Enlarging Charm in place, just managed to get the hatch to close.

Ron sighed and looked around at Ginny's Supra and Hermione's similar two wrecks.

"Where'd they go?" he inquired, looking around for the girls as if expecting them to jump out at him.

The Full-Body-Bind hit both Harry and Ron hard, spinning them around and landing them facedown in the dirt.


	5. What Th'

Chapter 5

What Th'

Harry dully watched an ant crawl up onto Ron's nose as they both lay facedown in the red dirt driveway of The Burrow. The look on Ron's face as he desperately tried to ignore the ant's meandering path up onto his forehead would have forced Harry to burst out laughing if his lips weren't frozen shut.

Without warning, a large garden spider scuttled out onto the dirt in front of Ron, apparently intent on the ant on his forehead. Ron's eyes widened in terror as the spider inched toward him in hunting mode.

The ant paused on the bridge of Ron's nose.

The spider leapt forward, scuttling at a huge amount of speed at the beleaguered ant.

As its front legs touched Ron's nose, the boy's body actually rocked back and forth before the spider pounced on the ant, sinking its fangs into the ant's carapace millimeters in front of Ron's crossed eyes.

Ron fainted.

"ALASTOR!!!"

Harry would have rolled his eyes as he recognized Nymphadora Tonks's infuriated voice scolding ex-Auror Alastor 'Mad-Eye' Moody.

"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR DAMN MIND? THOSE WERE NO DEATH EATERS, MAD-EYE!" Tonks shrieked, apparently beside herself with rage.

Another, brisker voice joined in, equally infuriated in tone.

"May I assure you, Alastor, that you have just Bound two of MY PUPILS?"

Harry's mind briefly registered the fact that Minerva McGonagall, head of Gryffindor House, was berating an Auror, before someone stepped on his back.

"Oops… hey, Harry!"

__

Yeah, thanks, Charlie. I owe you one. Thanks for lifting this DAMN BODY BIND… Harry thought furiously.

Tonks stopped yelling at Moody long enough to perform the countercurse for Moody's Full-Body-Bind, thus freeing Harry and Ron from the frozen state, though for Ron, it didn't make much of a difference, as he was out cold.

Harry pointed his wand at Ron, muttering, "_Ennervate_."

Ron's eyes fluttered open, and as he saw the spider's eight eyes gazing calmly back at him, let out a panicked yell and scrabbled backward on all fours, ramming straight into Moody, who swore colorfully and let out another stream of jinxes.

McGonagall let out another peeved roar, and Moody cowered under her yells. Tonks sighed patiently, extinguishing the flames now engulfing the panic-stricken chicken that was currently clucking and running around in terror, and quickly modified the poor bird's memory. The chicken spun around a few times, hit by the spell's power, then wobbled off toward the henhouse, bouncing off a few plants before ramming straight into the henhouse wall and staggering inside, clucking giddily all the while.

Harry watched the chicken's path, sighed, and escorted the four visitors inside, realizing with a smile that Charlie and Tonks' hands were intertwined tightly.

Hermione joined Harry and Ron outside, gazing at the two warped, battered vehicles that were about to become fully restored, much to Ron's utter horror.

Hermione glanced at Harry, grinned slightly, and flicked her wand at both cars in turn.

"_Reparo Totalis! Reparo Totalis!"_

Minutes later, a gleaming blue-on-white 1970 Chevelle and a beautiful crimson and white '58 Fury stood in front of a triumphant looking Hermione. Ron groaned and buried his face in his hands.

Hermione said in a tone that she had clearly struggled to remove all traces of pride from, "Well, you know, Ron, I _told _you the Mini was a bad idea…"

Ron muttered something indistinguishable that quickly was cut off as Hermione paced over, grabbed him, and gently kissed him.

Behind their backs, Harry looked ready to gag.

He turned his back on the lovesick couple and headed back into the house.

Ginny ambushed him as he made his way into his room to feed Hedwig.

"Harry?"

He jumped, then had the sense to feel (and look) slightly apprehensive as Ginny shut the door behind them.

The lock clicked, and Harry's apprehension increased hugely as Ginny strode purposefully toward him.

She seized him by the shoulders, and gazed deep into his sparkling emerald eyes, her soft brown irises boring into his with a will.

Harry was doing his best not to melt under Ginny's adoring gaze, and Ginny, vice versa.

Ginny was the first to go, her heart melting as Harry tilted his head slightly to the side, his eyes still locked onto hers.

With a noise of huge longing, she leaned in, pinning him against the wall of his room, and pressed her lips to his.

Harry's arms instinctively encircled Ginny's slim hips, and he pulled her close, letting her squeak slightly in protest, as she now had to stand nearly on tiptoe to keep the kiss locked.

Ginny's familiar, cinnamony scent encircled Harry, somehow embracing him, welcoming him as he moved his mouth uncertainly against Ginny's, all thoughts of her as a mere friend and sister gone.

Ginny broke the kiss this time, her eyes shining with joy and with adoration as she hugged Harry tightly, standing on tiptoe to place her head on his shoulder. She sighed dreamily, looking up at Harry.

"Harry?"

Still slightly dazed from the kiss, Harry looked down at her, and his heart swelled with love for his new girlfriend.

"What's up, Gin?"

__

Gin. He called me Gin_._

Ginny flushed slightly, not expecting this, and instead declared quietly, "Hedwig has eggs."

Harry stared at her, then whipped his head around so fast he cricked his neck.

"What?"

He nearly dropped Ginny, who squeaked again in indignation, then followed him to Hedwig's cage.

Indeed, Hedwig had accumulated and built a nest in the cage, and had laid three pure white eggs, one of which was already cracking open. Hedwig hooted serenely out at Harry, pecking at the cracking eggshell as to help her young offspring out.

Hedwig shooed them away, flapping her wings and hooting loudly, and Harry and Ginny retreated toward the bed.

"Say… Gin?"

"What?"

"How'd you like an owl?"

Ginny looked at Harry, then grinned one of her dazzling smiles that left Harry's heart racing.

"Please?" she inquired.

"Yeah."

Ginny squealed with delight and gave him another kiss.

"Ooooooooh thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!" she cried, her face flushed with excitement, brown eyes sparkling with joy.

Harry gently pushed her away, smiling genially. "No problem. I'll hand it to you when they all hatch."

Ginny smiled, then cuddled up to Harry, whispering, "I'll name it… Pigwidgeon. The Second. Or maybe… maybe… Coots. Maybe even Snuffles…!"

There was a slight pop as the owl chick, aided by Hedwig, finally broke out of its eggshell, peeping uncertainly and stumbling about, its fluffy feathers slicked down by moisture. Hedwig hooted in a motherly way, tucking it under her wing as it dried out before Harry and Ginny's eyes.

Within fifteen minutes, Hedwig had shoved the hyperactive chick out of the cage, hooting her approval as Harry placed the tiny, fluffball of white feathers into Ginny's trembling hands.

Ginny nuzzled the top of the baby owl tenderly, then, flashing Harry a huge smile, christened it, to Harry's horror, Pigwidgeon, the Second, otherwise known as 'Pig Two' or just 'P2'.

Harry sighed and ushered Ginny out of the room, closing the door as she sprinted for her room and the owl cage she'd been building out of lack of a better pastime.

There was a muffled _thump_ at the window, and Harry, as he looked out at the silhouetted figures plastered to the window, swore.

"_What _th'…?"


	6. The Twins' Revenge

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A/N: I need to clarify something:

Ray- I'm sorry, I forgot the rest of your penname… please keep all 'bad' words out of your reviews. My younger brother picked up on a few of them… Thanks for your reviews, though!

Point Number One- I expect at least five reviews before I put another chapter up on my stories. That goes for all of them. One is good, Two is fine, three is better, four is even better, five is great, any more is excellent. I would like at LEAST one review, please? Or I will be forced to become mean. Thanks go to yayalulu for reviewing…!

Anyway, thank you for your patience, and on with the story.

Chapter 6

The Twins' Revenge

Fred and George Weasley, apparently, had forgotten that their mother had wisely placed an Unbreakable Charm on The Burrow's each and every window. As it was, Harry watched them in utter disbelief as first Fred, then George, peeled their faces off his window, wearing identical expressions of pain.

Stunned by their sudden appearance from nowhere, Harry let them in.

Fred, still clutching the broomstick he'd been riding, flopped down on Harry's floor, nursing a bruised nose.

"Wotcher, Harry," he said in a suspiciously over-casual voice. "Just been out for Quidditch practice once more…"

Harry saw the play-along-with-me look that the twins exchanged.

Heaving a sigh, Harry inquired, "Whatcha do, whodja mow down?"

George, holding a wad of tissue to his bleeding nose, spoke for both of them.

"Dunno whatcha mean, Harry…"

"You know what I mean… What did you do?"

"Nothing, Harry!"

"Don't make me drag your mother in here…"

Both twins blanched.

"Okay, okay Harry," Fred said hastily. "No need to get huffy… we went to go tend our store for a while, and guess who we saw there?"

Harry shrugged. "Dunno. Who?"

"Umbridge."

A grimace of utter hatred crossed Harry's face as he remembered the toadlike Defense against the Dark Arts professor he was unlucky enough to have.

"Yeah? What happened?"

Fred grinned wickedly. "Well, what else? We invited her in and gave her a demonstration of one of our products. You know those big inflatable toys Muggles love?"

"Yeah…"

"We found one of a centuar, charmed it to move, you know? And then we blew it up and set it on her."

George's nose had finally stopped oozing blood, and he removed the tissues to continue the narrative. "It chased her a fair way down Diagon Alley… we called the centuar back after a while."

Harry grinned widely. Noticing his look, Fred raised an eyebrow grimly.

"Yeah, that's how we felt, until McGonagall showed up."

"What'd she do?" Harry asked slowly, unsure of whether or not he wanted to hear the answer.

"Lectured us for a while on our little departure last year… gave us about four hundred hours of service at Hogwarts… then cancelled it all and bought four of the centuar inflatables."

Harry grinned. Professor McGonagall had loathed Umbridge nearly as much as the pupils, and had been distinctly heard voicing a strong desire to watch Umbridge's final mad dash from Hogwarts, closely pursued by Peeves.

"And, as gratitude toward _you_, dear Harry… we thought it only fair that you take _this_."

George pressed a sack of Galleons into Harry's arms.

"One thousand Galleons."

Harry stared at Fred and Georges' eager faces, then sighed and pushed the bag back at them.

"No, thanks… give it to Ron. He'd like it."

Fred stared incredulously at Harry, then shrugged.

"All right… we'll give it to him… from you."

Harry grinned. "Thanks, you guys."

George winked at him and sneezed.

"Aw, _damn_," he swore, pressing the wad of tissues to his nose once more before following his twin out of the room.

Once more, Harry was left to contemplate all the possible meanings of the word 'isolated'.

Footsteps paused just outside Harry's door, and Ron poked his head in, looking more confused than Harry had ever seen him.

"I just got knocked over by a flying sack of Galleons Fred said were from you," Ron said, obviously thinking he was dreaming.

Harry's spirits soared. "Yeah, take them, I don't really need them…" he said quietly.

The incredulous look on Ron's face was enough to make Harry's day.

"You mean it?"

Harry nodded. "Yup."

"You're bloody delirious…"

"I know. Go buy yourself something…!"

Ron looked as if he couldn't believe his ears, then sighed and said, "We're leaving first thing in the morning."

"Kay."

Ron turned to leave, only to be dragged into the room by Hermione as she nonchalantly reached out and grabbed him as she passed.

She sighed and plopped down beside Harry on the bed. "What're we gonna do until four AM tomorrow?"

Harry stared at her. "Huh?"

"Even if we fall asleep this _instant_, we won't be able to get up by four AM! It's one in the morning already… so, what d'you want to do for three hours?"

Ron and Harry exchanged glances.

"Chess tournament?" was their chorused reply.

Hermione looked ready to say no, but the looks they were giving her apparently changed her mind.

"Oh, all right," she sighed. "But if Professor McGonagall catches us, it's not my fault…"

Harry sighed, then removed his wand from the pocket of his jeans.

"_Accio Ginny!_"

There was a squeak from down the hall, and Ginny, a book in her hand, wire-rimmed glasses perched on her nose, shot into the room, bowling Harry over as she hit him.

Ron and Hermione exchanged looks, then, surprisingly, Ron grinned.

Ginny stared at Harry as he sat back up, rubbing his shoulder where she'd hit him.

"I was _reading_, thank you very much," she said irritably, then smiled at Harry and said, "But I'll watch…"

Ron rolled his eyes and politely refrained from saying anything. Hermione, on the other hand, was ready to burst out laughing.

Harry grinned at Ginny, then turned his attention back to the chessboard as Ron arranged the pieces one by one.

****

A/N: So, what did you think? Do the author a favor? Rate the entire story so far, based on the classic 1-10 scale, One being worst, 10 being best, and why. I don't spend countless hours a day typing this to laugh at my own writing, you know…

Next chapter: On to California!


	7. Fun, Fun, Fun

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A/N: Before we get started, let me clarify a few things. No, I do NOT own the Beach Boys or the song 'Fun, Fun, Fun' by the aforementioned artists. I don't own HP, either, come to think of it…

Chapter 7

Fun, Fun, Fun

Harry dimly realized he was being dragged bodily out of the bedroom and into the kitchen. What woke him up was the ice cube Ron had the sense to slip down the back of his T-shirt.

Looking blearily around, he saw that Hermione, Ron, the twins, Mr. Weasley, and Ginny were all staring at him.

"What?" Harry inquired irritably. It was too early for this kind of thing.

Mr. Weasley spoke first.

"I asked whether you were ready to hit the road," he repeated, sounding slightly annoyed.

"Oh… yeah," Harry said apologetically. "Yeah… let's go, then."

Mr. Weasley nodded, ushering them out to their cars.

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They reached the Portkey just in time. Each of them placing a hand on their respective vehicle's hood, the participants reached out and grabbed the Portkey just as it activated.

There followed the usual rushing sensation, and, moments later, the cars and their owners touched down on a moonlit California street. An elderly lady sighted them and began to hobble toward them, transforming once into her usual form for a moment of identification before switching back into the old lady form.

Tonks greeted them warmly as Harry and Mr. Weasley conjured up California license plates from midair for each car.

"Wotcher, Ginny, Hermione, Fred, George, Harry, Arthur!" she chirped happily.

Ron noticed she was proffering a pink box of something to them. He eyed the pink box warily.

"What are those?" he asked suspiciously, as if expecting one of them to leap out and start chomping merrily on his nose.

Hermione rolled her eyes and accepted one. She held it in front of Ron's face and took a bite.

"Donut," she said through a mouthful of the sugary pastry. "Muggle cake. Very, very good."

Ron cautiously took a donut, and when it didn't immediately cauterize his hand into ash, took a bite. He mumbled around it for a bit, swallowed, and took anther bite, proclaiming the donut 'beffer than thoff fingf Mum makef…"

Which earned him a genial slap from Ginny.

Harry accepted the offer of a jelly-filled donut, and, chewing pensively, looked around. "So this is California…" he muttered. "Not what I expected."

Ron nodded assent. "Yeah… where's that Dinsteyland or whatever…"

Hermione sighed at Ron's ignorance. "_Disneyland_, Ron. Opened on July fifteenth, Nineteen fifty-five, it was designed and founded by Mr. Walter Disney, who was a mastermind of animated cartoons. Perhaps the best known of his works is the famed Mickey Mouse…"

She rambled on, oblivious to Ron and Harrys' incredulous stares.

"I had no idea there was a _Complete History of Everything in California_…" Harry groaned.

Ron shrugged. "Maybe."

Hermione glared daggers at both of them. "Are you two going to listen or not?"

Ron looked at her, then leaned over and kissed her gently. She squeaked in surprise, then sighed and let Ron break it after fifteen seconds.

"That was… different…" she breathed.

Ginny grinned at the disgusted look on Harry's face, murmuring, "I wonder if that's what _we_ look like…"

Harry shot a cautious glance at Ron, who, unusually, was watching them with interest, waiting.

Ginny scowled at him, and he rolled his eyes and looked away.

Mr. Weasley, having finished authenticating the license plates, motioned the teens over, smiling genially at them all as they crowded around.

"Now, I've supplied each of your vehicles with a mapping system… you'll use it to find your way to where we're lodging here. Hermione, Ron, take one of your cars, same with you, Harry and Ginny. Tonks and I will take care of the others."

Ginny looked at Harry, and Hermione looked at Ron.

Both boys groaned and sighed.

"I'll drive."

The girls couldn't help but smile coyly at their respective partners.

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Ron followed Harry's Camaro as it slid gracefully into the Best Western's parking lot. The Mini's brakelights came on, and it slipped into the spot next to Harry's, stopping a hair's breadth from the rear bumper of the expensive-looking Porsche 911 in the space in front of it. Ron leapt from the car, and Harry was amazed that a tall, gangly frame like Ron's could actually fit into the Mini's cramped interior.

He politely held back a groan as Hermione emerged from the interior of the car, chattering on about the wonders of the Beach Boys, presumably some kind of ancient Muggle band.

Ron hurried over to Harry, narrowly being missed by Hermione's Fury as it careened into the parking lot, bouncing off a few cars before settling in a spot. Ron moaned and clapped his face into his hands. Hermione merely patted his back sympathetically as Mr. Weasley emerged, narrowly avoiding being run over by Mad-Eye Moody at the wheel of the Chevelle. Tonks came last, in Ginny's Supra, making the most graceful stops of the three, sliding to a stop just shy of the Chevelle.

Harry looked at Hermione, white-faced and inexplicably grinning, and said, "Well… _Reparo_?"

She nodded, and started toward the damaged cars, flicking her wand at each of them in turn and watching in a self-satisfied manner as their alarms stopped going off and the damage was repaired.

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They managed to get up to their rooms without setting anything on fire, and they quickly separated into their rooms: Mr. Weasley, Harry, and Ron in one, Tonks, Hermione, and Ginny on another, and Moody in his own.

Standing in the hallway with their trunks on the floor behind them, they bid each other good-night and retired to their rooms.

Silence, broken only by the occasional crash from Moody's room, quickly reigned over the three rooms.


	8. Oh, Shut UP

Chapter Eight

Oh, Shut UP…

"Harry? Oi, HARRY!"

Harry moaned and threw his pillow at the source of the yell. It came flying right back at him, propelled by a very frustrated-looking Ron.

"Harry, explain the rules of Quidditch to Hermione. She doesn't seem to want to listen to _me_."

"Ron, I'll listen to _you_, it's just that the rules make no _sense_, the way you explain them."

"Oh, so I'm stupid all of a sudden, eh?"

"You're doing a good job of making yourself out to be."

"You should talk. What about that night in the Astronomy Tower when we…"

Ron broke off, going a bright red at the same time Hermione did. Harry, on the other hand, was suddenly wide awake.

"And what, exactly, did you two _do_ in the Astronomy Tower?" Harry inquired, subtly stressing the 'do'.

Hermione opened her mouth to speak, but only managed to squeak something and go even redder.

Ron shook his head mutely. "Not what you think," was all he could get out.

"In that case, how was your snog?"

Hermione squeaked again and buried her face in her hands, the back of her neck going red as well. The tips of Ron's ears were perfectly crimson now as he looked innocently out the window, suddenly very interested in a sparrow twittering away on a branch outside.

Harry was at the point of launching into all-out teasing of his two friends when Mr. Weasley yawned and sat up.

The color drained from both Ron and Hermiones' faces as they looked up to see what the noise was. Upon seeing his father up, Ron dealt Harry a shut-up-or-you'll-die look, then turned back to the sparrow.

Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, Mr. Weasley looked over at Harry.

"Morning, Harry. Sleep well?"

Harry nodded mutely, noting the dangerous looks Ron kept shooting him behind his father's back.

Mr. Weasley yawned, and, pulling a set of Muggle clothes on, trudged out of the room to go wake the others.

Immediately thereafter, Ron and Hermione cheerfully launched straight back into bickering.

After twelve minutes, Harry could take it no longer.

"Oh, shut _up_, you two…"

**---**

**A/N: I'm really sorry it's so short, but this is the longest I could get this chapter. It's mainly a filler, so… yeah. Between friends, school, and other things, I have had very little time to write. So… here's an update, sorry it's so short. Reviews on what I have are greatly appreciated.**


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